Ringing in the New Year
by mugglegrl84
Summary: ONE SHOT. This is the story of how Ron proposed to Hermione. Goes along with my other story 'After the Battle'. R/Hr. Please read and review!


Ron Weasley never really considered himself a coward. Sure he was scared of spiders, but who wouldn't be if your brother turned your favorite toy into one when you were kids? That's the kind of thing that could scar a person for life. No, he wasn't a coward. But if he wasn't a coward, why was he suddenly so scared? When the thought had come to him last week when he made plans to go out with Harry, Ginny and Hermione for New Years eve, he had been excited about it. Now, as he made his way back through muggle London, a bag containing a small velvet box clutched in his hands, he was more terrified then he had ever been in his life. He had considered asking Harry for advice, as his best mate had just recently proposed to his sister, but he had decided against it. Why he had decided against it, he wasn't sure.

Ron glanced down at his watch and cursed under his breath. If he didn't hurry, he would be late and Hermione would be furious. And the last thing he wanted was for her to be mad at him tonight of all nights. Finally reaching the Leaky Cauldron, he quickly stepped into the pub, scanning the pub for Hermione and stuffed the bag into his coat pocket.

As they were all meeting Harry's muggle cousin and his girlfriend for the night's festivities, Hermione thought it would be a good idea to brief Ron on some of the things he shouldn't say or do around muggles. If he was honest with himself, he had to agree with her. He hadn't had much experience in the muggle world aside from a few short trips to London.

He spotted Hermione sitting at the far end of the bar, nursing a butterbeer, and wove his way through the crowds.

"It's about time," said Hermione, frowning at him as he slid into the booth. "We only have an hour before we have to meet Harry and Ginny."

"I'm sorry, Mione. Lost track of time," said Ron. He reached across the table and took both of her hands in his. The corner of her mouth twitched and he knew she was fighting the urge to smile.

"Well, lets get started then. I made a list of a few things I think you'll need to know," she said. She twisted in her seat and pulled a stack of parchment from her bag. Ron leaned back and smiled. To anyone else, this sort of thing would probably have been annoying, but to Ron, it was just one of the many reasons he loved her.

A few hours later found them in a very crowded muggle pub in the heart of downtown London. Ron and Hermione had met up with Harry and Ginny in a back alley and the four of them had walked the few blocks to meet Harry's cousin Dudley and his girlfriend April. Currently, the six of them sat around a table drinking and making conversation. At least everyone else was. Ron on the other hand, was fighting the urge to go running from the pub. He kept running the different scenarios of how the evening could end, and each scenario he came to ended badly.

"You okay, mate?" came a voice from his left. He looked up to see Harry staring at him with a concerned look on his face.

"What? Oh . . . er . . . yeah. Just tired," he lied. Harry gave him a skeptical look but seemed to believe him and turned his attention back to Ginny and his cousin. Moments later, Ron was lost in thought once more. It wasn't until Hermione, who had been deep in conversation with April, turned to him that he was finally pulled from his thoughts.

"Oooh, Ron. It's almost midnight," she said excitedly.

At these words, Ron's stomach twisted into knots, and he had to fight the urge to be sick. He self-consciously patted his pocket, making sure the ring was still there and forced a smile onto his face. His heart started beating fast and he could feel his face flush as everyone in the pub got their feet and started counting down the last seconds of the year.

"Ten, nine, eight . . ." Ron followed their lead and stood, pulling Hermione to her feet so that they stood facing each other.

"Seven, six, five . . ." He pulled the ring box from his pocket. Hermione was so caught up in the excitement of the moment that she didn't notice.

"Four, three, two . . ." He swallowed past the lump in his throat and took a deep breath.

"One . . ." He dropped to one knee right there in the crowded pub and opened the ring box, holding it up toward Hermione. Hermione gasped in surprise and her hands flew up to cover her mouth.

"Mione, I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

He looked up at Hermione and saw tears pouring down her cheeks. 'Oh no. She's going to say no. Why would she want to marry you? You're not good enough for her', he thought to himself. He was nearing panic when to his surprise, Hermione nodded.

"Of course I'll marry you!" she said. And with that, she flung herself in his arms.

*****

A/N: This is a little one shot that I had to write after I posted a chapter in my other story, 'After the Battle', from Harry's point of view. Please let me know what you think and check out my other story if you'd like!


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